Wednesday, August 29, 2012

"Every Christian is Christ’s garden that drinks in the rain that comes upon it (Heb 6.7). As there must be frequent showers on God’s part so there must be frequent weeding on our part, or no blessing to be expected."

Monday, August 20, 2012

1. Pray that God would do the saving work of regeneration.
Salvation belongs to the Lord. God reconciles sinners to Himself. God alone removes the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh. God saves sinners by His grace and not by works of the Law. May we earnestly pray for our dearest children to be recipients of the unmerited and undeserved mercy of God in Christ. Be like Paul whose earnest prayer to God was for Israel’s salvation. He prayed and begged and petitioned God to save his beloved people — Israel. So may it be with parents to continually, regularly, daily, relentlessly and believingly pray that God would do the sovereign and saving work of regeneration in each of our children’s hearts.

2. Pray that God would deliver them from the damning lusts of this world.
The lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life are not from God but from the world. Indeed, if anyone follows the lusts of the world then the love of the Father is not in him. The world passes away along with its many lusts but the one who does the will of God lives forever. May we passionately beg God to deliver our precious children from the lusts of the world. And they are damning lusts at that since the Scriptures reveal that those who live lives habitually engaging in such lusts will be damned forever. Pray that God may mercifully deliver your children from engaging in, delighting in, and practicing the damning lusts of this world.

3. Pray that God would create an affectionate love in their hearts for the Savior.
Though a believer has not seen Jesus Christ, he loves Him; and though he does not see Christ now, he believes in Him & rejoices greatly with joy inexpressible. True love for Christ is only something that God begets in the heart and soul of His elect. Pray that God would produce in the heart of your child a most affectionate, a most enduring, and a faith validating love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. Pray that God would remind you to evangelize them repeatedly.
Moses commanded the fathers of Israel to teach the Word of God to their children constantly. At all times of the day, they were to set the truths of God upon the hearts of their children — whether they sit, rise, walk, or lie down. At all courses of the day, God’s glorious truth should be brought to bear. Parents must train up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. It is the Lord’s ways and His works that must be emphasized repeatedly when the parents instruct, discipline, warn, counsel, and disciple their children.

5. Pray that God would stir a heartfelt desire to follow, obey & surrender to Christ's Lordship.
Jesus said that whoever does not take up his cross and follow Him is not worthy of Him. To the men who would become His apostles he commanded: “follow me.” Let parents pray that God may stir up the heartfelt (inward, worshipful) desire to follow Christ, to obey Christ, to surrender to Christ’s Lordship over their lives. Truly, no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit. So this inward passion to affirm and hail Christ’s Lordship over one’s life is ultimately a working of God the Holy Spirit in the heart of the person. No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Let all parents remember that following Christ is an inner, heartfelt attitude that shows itself to be valid and genuine over the course of time. It is not decisionism or a sinner’s prayer that saves but a commitment to follow Christ as Savior and Lord that results in a life of following hard after Him.

6. Pray that God would protect them from Pharisaical hypocrisy & legalism.
Some of the most scathing words in all of Scripture are spoken by our Lord against some of the religious elite of the day. Just as the Pharisees said things and told people to do things but yet they themselves would not perform those works so let us pray that our children would be saved from the hypocritical hearts of the Pharisees. The Pharisees carefully cleaned the outside of the bowl but yet the inside was full of robbery and self-indulgence. Let all parents remember that outward religiosity does not guarantee inward spirituality. Outward religion does not necessarily prove heart regeneration. Though regeneration and inward spirituality must always evidence itself in a life of holiness and good deeds, the morals and outward deeds does not prove that one’s heart has been transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. May our children not sound trumpets before they do good works. May they not stand and pray long prayers just to be seen by men. May they not pay lip service to God while their hearts are far from God. Pray that God may mercifully protect your children from this.

7. Pray that God would mercifully deliver their soul from hellfire.
May it never become a reality that our children live under our watchcare, die physically, and end up in hell and attempt to make the excuse that they never heard of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ from their parents. We cannot save them. We cannot redeem them. We cannot reconcile them to God. We can only pray that God in His infinite mercy and saving grace would draw the wicked hearts of our children to Himself in saving faith. One way that this may happen is through the evangelistic influence of parents who faithfully, daily, and biblically present the gospel of Jesus Christ to the children. If our children are going to go to hellfire, at least let them crawl over our bodies and leap and jump over us to hell as we present the glories of Christ’s atonement and the efficacy of His redemption for sinners. Hellfire is the inevitable destination for every person who rejects the one way of salvation that God has provided — namely, faith alone in Christ alone which all comes by grace alone! Pray, parents, pray that God would snatch our children from the plight of their wickedness by washing them and cleansing them in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

PURPOSE:
This is to help you understand what is involved in preaching, how to prepare a sermon, and how to improve at the preaching of God's Word so that we can grow in our ability to teach & preach God's truth to God's people (2 Tim 4:2 - "preach ... be ready in season & out of season"). America & the Church needs more POWERFUL, FIERY, URGENT, BIBLICAL, and ENGAGING preachers!

WHAT IS REQUIRED:
You would have the opportunity to prepare & preach a 20 minute sermon before the men (depending on how many men commit to this, you'd probably preach once a month). The benefits: you would be IN God's Word during the week, studying a given text, working through an outline, the intro, the conclusion, application, illustrations, etc. Then you would deliver it & we as your brothers would encourage you in what you did well & provide constructive criticism of the sermon as well.

May God continue to raise up a band of men who will faithfully, boldly, unashamedly, fearlessly, urgently, and passionately declare the glories of Christ's substitutionary atonement on behalf of sinners!

Friday, August 17, 2012

Ps 119.165 (MT) שָׁל֣וֹם רָ֭ב לְאֹהֲבֵ֣י תוֹרָתֶ֑ךָ וְאֵֽין־לָ֥מוֹ מִכְשֽׁוֹל׃ (Abundant peace belongs to those who love Your Law; and there is no cause for stumbling for them.)

The Truth:The main point centers around the nominal phrase: “those who love Your Law” (לְאֹהֲבֵ֣י תוֹרָתֶ֑ךָ). Those who are committed to the Law of God, as revealed by the context of Ps 119 at large, refers to those who cherish God’s truth, His Word, His testimonies. Those who love the Word of God commit themselves to hiding it in their hearts, obeying it, meditating on it, proclaiming its glories, and walking in obedience to its demands.

And, those who truly love the Law of God have two characteristics:

1) They have abundant peace. This means that the person in love with God and His revealed Word concerning Himself has great — that is, abundant — peace. There is an internal peace, a wholeness, a complete well-being that is abundantly supplied to the person in love with God’s Word.

2) There is no cause for stumbling for them. This speaks to the reality that for the one who is loving the ordinances of God, there is nothing that comes that causes him to stumble. There is no event, no circumstance, no person, no disagreement, nor is there any thought that causes the lover of God’s Word to stumble. This is so because the man is passionately consumed with the truth of God rather than the fleeting and flickering flings that may arise here.

May it be characteristic of God’s people — who must be fervent lovers of God’s truth — to have abundant peace and also to have no cause for stumbling. As the man of God feeds upon the glorious truths of God and the marvelous mercies revealed in the Gospel of grace as manifested in the Word of God, may he have abundant wholeness, well-being, internal joy & delight. And, may he find himself so caught up in abundant peace — that only God Himself can sovereignly bestow — that there is really nothing that can cause him to stumble. No slight statement that a man may raise, no opposing situation that may occur, no disheartening event that may come about can deter the man wholly focused and eternally loving the Truth of God.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

On Sunday night at CFBC, I received the following question during our Q&A [which I followed up with an email containing the response below] and I thought it'd be helpful for some to read it & understand this most important issue.

=============== I want to take just a minute and follow up with your very good question that you asked me last Sunday night at CFBC. You asked: what do you do if your church/a church you're attending has a woman preaching/teaching publicly?

Let me seek to answer that here in writing for you:

INTRO:There are many in our day that affirm & encourage churches to have BOTH men and women pastors. This way they can relate to all people, show all that men & women are equal, etc. But does the Word of God allow for this?

THE ISSUE:The issue is this: can both men & women occupy the public teaching/preaching role IN the local church when the entire assembly is gathered? Can a woman occupy that position of elder/pastor/teacher?

The feminist movement & the egalitarian (all roles of men & women are equal in every sense) movement are shouting at the Church that men & women are equal in every sense not only in person but in function & role. The world knows this, the political world affirms this, the feminist movement advocates this, and many churches are buying into this kind of thinking.

THE TEXTS:There are a few texts most pertinent.

1 Cor 14.35 - Paul says that if a woman has a question in the church, she should ask her husband at home because it is improper for a woman to speak in the Church. Paul says that a woman is NOT to speak publically in the local church in the assembly. *NOTE* this is in the context of prophesying/teaching in the local church. Paul here is saying that it's improper for a woman to take the teaching role in the PUBLIC gathering of the entire assembly.

1 Tim 2.11-15 - Paul shows that a woman is NOT to exercise authority or to preach over a man but to remain quiet (v.13). This is MOST pertinent because it's most clearly in the context of public worship (1 Tim 2.1-8 & especially 3:1-15). Paul's obviously talking about the life of the local church assembly here.

There are two reasons Paul gives as to why a woman cannot have this leadership (=teaching) role in the assembly:

1. God's created order shows that man has authority (man created first and THEN woman -- v.13). THIS proves that it's NOT only a cultural thing but that Paul traces the headship/leadership of the man all the way back to PRE-FALL (God's created order!).

2. The woman was deceived & fell into transgression -- not the man. Thus, because of woman's fall in the Garden, she is prone to temptation & transgression (*this is not to suggest that man cannot fall as well!! He most certainly can). Paul's argument goes back to the Fall & how the woman fell into sin.

Indeed, when Christ chose His 12 apostles, they were ALL men. Those who carried on the work of the ministry in the early church were all MEN.

THE CONCLUSION:Thus, I believe that the biblical teaching is that men only can teach/preach when the entire assembly is gathered. **Note-- women can (and should!) teach other women! But when the entire church is there (men & women), the elder/teacher/pastor should be a man (1 Tim 3.1 - if any man aspires ...)

If a particular Church does not hold this position, I would encourage you to lovingly, graciously and humbly approach the pastor/leadership and ask them their position on this issue such as women in leadership.

If they will not submit to God's Word on this issue, then I would see that as a very serious red flag in a particular ministry. It shows that allegiance is more to cultural receptivity rather than glorifying God & His authoritative & sufficient Word. But this conversation should be done with utmost graciousness, love, tenderness & humility!!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Recently a dear brother asked me an excellent question at CFBC. I want to post my answer to this very good & important question. Here's what I said:

THE QUESTION:I want to take a minute and respond to your question you asked me about Christ dying for the "WORLD" in the book of 1 John.

John 3.17; 4:42; 6:33; 6:51; 12:47; cp. 17:9. See 1 John 2.2. All these references speak of Christ in some way "saving" or "dying for" the WORLD. The issue is this: what does John mean when he says that Christ died for 'the world' or 'for all'.

THE ISSUE:
We need to be careful of what these texts do NOT mean.

1. They do NOT say that Christ died for ALL so that ALL men are saved. This is the error and heresy of Universalism --- all people everywhere are saved because Christ died for all & thus saves ALL.

2. This does NOT mean that Christ died for ALL men equally & as a result all men would be saved.

THE DEFINITIONS OF "WORLD":
The key to interpreting ALL of these texts is to examine all of them in the immediate context. Thus, we cannot take the meaning of 'world' in every sense & insert ALL that meaning into 'every occurrence' of the word. That is the word-study fallacy. For example: the word "trunk" in English can mean different things in different contexts (= trunk of a car, trunk of an elephant, trunk of a tree, trunk where you carry things, trunk of your chest, etc.). The CONTEXT of that particular reference MUST be the factor that specifically determines the meaning of a word in a particular text.

A good example of this is Titus 2:11 where Paul says: "the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to ALL men" (Titus 2.11). Does that mean that ALL men will be saved? NO! In the immediate context, Titus 2:1-10 talks about all kinds/groups of people --- old men, older women, young men, bondslaves, etc. God's grace brought salvation to all these kinds/groups of people!!

John 3.16 says that For God so loved the WORLD. But does it mean that Christ died for THE WORLD? Well, note the immediate context of John 3.15 - Whoever believes in him may have eternal life (so it is obviously LIMITED in some way to whoever believes).

John 3.17 says that Christ came into the world so that the WORLD might be saved through Him. Did John mean that the ENTIRE POPULATION of people would be saved? No because 3.18 says whoever believes in HIM is not condemned (it's limited in some way).

**I believe that when John uses "WORLD" (Greek: kosmos) he USUALLY (depending on the immediate context of each) refers to the world referring to kinds of people --- that is, Jew & Greek. Not all PEOPLE extensively but all KINDS of people (groups --> Jew & Gentile).

"ALL" and "WORLD" often refer to all of a particular class, but not to all people universally. Here's another way to view Jesus as the savior of the WORLD in John's texts. When John speaks of Jesus being the savior of the WORLD he means only that Jesus is the ONLY savior the world will ever have, not that he will save every individual in it (James Boice).

LIMITED ATONEMENT/PARTICULAR REDEMPTION:
Limited atonement is sort of a bad way to term the view. It means that Christ's death is in some way 'limited' or 'insufficient.' It actually speaks to the opposite. It's actually EFFICIENT and DEFINITE and PARTICULAR. For those whom Christ died, he actually died & absolutely & eternally secured their redemption -- forever.

If Christ died for some men who are now in hell, then we MUST be forced to say (logically & theologically) that his death was in some way insufficient and incomplete for those people. No where do we find that in the Bible (see especially Heb 7.25 --- Christ saves forever).

Particular Redemption means that the INTENT of the atonement defines the EXTENT of the atonement. If God intended to actually save and actually redeem sinners by Christ's death, then that MUST mean that the EXTENT does not reach to ALL men (or else all would be saved) but its EXTENT must be particular/exclusive for SOME people (that is, the elect).

The question in this discussion is this: "what did Jesus actually ACCOMPLISH BY HIS DEATH?" If he actually came to save, redeem, propitiate the father's wrath, reconcile, etc. THEN his death must be actual & definite to save his people.

I think that James Boice says it well:
"Christ's work on the Cross was not a hypothetical salvation for hypothetical believers, but a real and definite salvation for God's own chosen people. A redemption that does not redeem, a propitiation that does not propitiate, a reconciliation that does not reconcile, and an atonement that does not atone cannot help anybody. But a redemption that redeems, a propitiation that propitiates, a reconciliation that reconciles, and an atonement that atones reveal a most amazing grace on God's part an draw us to rest in HIM and in HIS completed work, rather than our own" (in his book The Doctrines of Grace, p.123).

CONCLUSION:
So I believe that particular redemption/limited atonement is the most biblical view exegetically & theologically.

A very helpful text to show this is John 17. When Jesus prays the High Priestly prayer in John 17, he does NOT pray for the "WORLD". Note: the "world" is in contrast with "us/our" in his prayer in John 17. Christ laid down his life for HIS SHEEP (John 10).

(And He clothed Himself with righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head. And he clothed Himself with garments of vengeance as clothing. And he wrapped himself with zeal as with a cloak.)

LXX — Isa 59.17:καὶ ἐνεδύσατο δικαιοσύνην ὡς θώρακα καὶ περιέθετο περικεφαλαίαν σωτηρίου ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ περιεβάλετο ἱμάτιον ἐκδικήσεως καὶ τὸ περιβόλαιον(And He clothed himself with righteousness as a breastplate, and he put on a helmet of salvation upon His head and he put a garment of vengeance on himself even as a cloak.)

NT — 1 Thess 5.8:ἡμεῖς δὲ ἡμέρας ὄντες νήφωμεν ἐνδυσάμενοι θώρακα πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ περικεφαλαίαν ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας·(But as for us, we are of the day, so let us be sober by clothing ourselves with a breastplate of faith and love and a helmet—the hope of salvation.)

The OT Context of Isaiah 59:Isaiah 59 finds itself in the midst of the Servant Songs where, in this section of Isaiah’s prophecy, he provides hope and affirmation to the people of Israel that Yahweh, her God, would bring deliverance to her. This would find ultimate fulfillment in the Suffering Servant (ch.53). Isaiah, however, continued to note the free offer of mercy to those who would believe (ch.55) and the reward for obeying God (ch.56). In ch.57, God notes that he is high, exalted, lofty, and worthy of all worship (57:15). For this reason, Isaiah notes that man’s iniquities have separated him from God (59:2) and that no one can bring himself salvation (59:16). So God’s own arm brought salvation (59:16b) and in so doing, he put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head (59:17). He put on garments of vengeance and zeal as he will repay the wicked according to their deeds (59:17b-18). This salvation finds ultimate fulfillment in the Redeemer who comes to Zion (59:20).

The NT Context of 1 Thessalonians 5:Paul penned the book of 1 Thessalonians to express his deep joy and worshipful delight that the young Church still walks faithfully with Christ even amidst persecutions. In chapters 1-3, Paul writes about the overview of the gospel (ch.1), the reminder of how he conducted himself with the church (ch.2) and the encouragement he received from Timothy’s visit to them & the report that he relayed (ch.3). Beginning in chapter 4, Paul provided a host of practical issues in response to God’s work of grace in their lives (chs.1-3). Such issues include sexual purity (4:1-8), loving the brethren (4:9-10), working hard (4:11-12), and the coming of the Lord Jesus for His people (4:13-18).

Beginning in chapter 5, Paul transitions to a new section (different from 4:13-18 but yet not an entirely unrelated topic) as marked by Περὶ δὲ (v.1). The believers in Thessalonika knew that the Day of the LORD would come unexpectedly as a thief (5:2b). Indeed, it would be a destructive period (5:3a) and one that is inescapable (5:3b). This Day of the LORD would dawn upon the unbelieving (note the pronouns: “they”, “them” in vv.3). But the believers, the Church, are not in darkness. They are, rather, sons of light and sons of the day (5:5). As a result of their position in Christ (being sons of light & sons of the day as opposed to sons of the night and sons of darkness), this must affect their practice in Christ. This must produce alertness and sobriety as they live life (5:6). It must markedly be different than the unbelieving world who drinks themselves drunk and sleeps at night and are totally unprepared for the coming of the Lord (5:7).

But the true believers, on the other hand (as opposed to those who get drunk at night in 5:7), are to be sober since they are of the day (5:8). And the way that believers are sober includes three elements. The believers must put on (lit. ‘clothe themselves with’; ἐνδυσάμενοι) the breastplate of faith, the breastplate of love, and the helmet, that is, the hope of salvation.

The breastplate of faith most probably refers to the element that covers the vital organs of a person (namely, one’s heart & central chest cavity). That which protects the believer’s most vital organs is none other than faith. It is faith in Christ, faith in the gospel, faith in what God has done (1:4) and in the power of the Word of God in bringing transformation (2:13), and in the truth that Jesus rescues His people from the wrath to come (1:10).

The breastplate of love speaks to the most important characteristic of believers that distinguishes them from the unbelieving world — love. One’s love for God, love for the community of believers, for the Lord Jesus Christ, for the lost, and even for one’s enemies sets him apart from the unregenerate. This is the breastplate that guards the believer.

The helmet which is the hope of salvation indicates that the salvation produces a hope that launches a believer to live for the next world. It thrusts the eternal mindset upon the believer. This eternal and certain hope guides him, guards him, governs him, and encourages him as he treks through life.

All of this shows that the believers are “sober” and are of the day and of the light as opposed to the darkness and the night. Live by putting on the breastplate of faith, love, and the hope of salvation as a helmet which marks a person out as diametrically opposed to the nonbelieving world.

The Way Paul Uses the OT:In Isaiah 59:17, God is the one who brings salvation to His people who are totally incapable of bringing deliverance to themselves. He does this by putting on righteousness ass a breastplate and salvation as a helmet on his head. God is the one who brings salvation. God does the doing in the OT text.

In the 1 Thess 5 text, Paul writes that believers are to show that they are children of the day/light by putting on, or, clothing themselves with the breastplate of faith, love, and with the helmet of hope. This is the believer’s responsibility in the NT text.

Thus we see the antinomy that the believer is to apply these elements to his own life but yet, ultimately, as Paul shows in bringing the language in from Isa 59.17, it is only God Himself who ultimately gives the ability to be clothed with these elements. Thus, it is God who works these things in His people but at the same time it is the responsibility of believers to put these on and practice them in their own lives to show that they are truly sons of the true God of Light. Indeed, the faith, hope, and love which the believer is to put on points to the unmistakable reality that the person is a son of the day. This triad of virtues ties it in with the entire letter as in 1:3 Paul spoke of the believer’s work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope. All of these virtues must, out of necessity, be constantly practiced and “put on” in the life of the son of light.

The Theological Implications:Ultimately, 1 Thess 5.8 can only be accomplished through the sovereign working and enabling of God in the lives of His people. Only God is the one who can bring righteousness as a breastplate. Only God is the one who can bring the helmet of salvation. Only God saves. Paul made this point in 1 Thess 1:9-10.

But at the same time, the believers are to utilize the power of God in their sanctification and conduct as they practice their position by putting on the breastplate of faith, love, and the hope of salvation (as a helmet).

There is an enjoining together of the work of God in sanctification and the work of the believing saint in arming himself with faith, hope, and love. Ultimately these are all sourced in God. Yet the believer must, by God’s grace and through His enabling, put on — that is, clothe himself with — these articles as they live lives of sobriety, self-control and thus show themselves to be children of light and sons of the day.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Join us this Sunday at Christ Fellowship Bible Church for worship at 5pm & then immediately after the service we'll have an all-church POTLUCK dinner. During this time we'll have a Q&A where you can ask questions about CFBC, its vision/mission/goals/theological beliefs, a particular question on a Bible text, and a question concerning the recent end-times study we had.

Here's the info on the POTLUCK:

WHAT: We will be having a potluck appetizer meal with dessert in the courtyard.WHEN: This Sunday, August 12thTIME: Immediately following the worship serviceWHAT YOU CAN BRING: We would request that everyone bring an appetizer to share with all. This should be more meal-like than dessert.WHAT CFBC WILL PROVIDE: We will be providing dessert (brownies and ice cream) and drinks.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

This Sunday night, CFBCis hosting an ice-cream fellowship immediately following the worship service. The truck is scheduled to be at CFBC waiting for us after the service so we can fellowship together & eat ice cream together (it's OK if you haven't had dinner yet — just one additional ice cream sandwich should suffice!).